For Liberty Greene Fennell, Sunday lunch has always been a bit of a sprawl. In London, that meant pub gardens, too many people, and roasts that kept coming. Or her grandmother Dana’s—music on, something in the oven, vegetables from the allotment.
Very much in this spirit, just last month Liberty cooked a long lunch for a group of Brits at Alice’s house. While leftovers were out of the question, we are very pleased to share a recipe from the day’s glorious menu, along with a quick chat with the lovely Liberty herself.
PORTA: When you think back to Sunday lunch at home, what comes first—the smell of something roasting, steam on the windows, or a voice from the kitchen?
LIBERTY: My family were big pub people, so a lot of our Sundays were spent having a Sunday roast at the local pub with family friends, whilst the kids (me and my brother, plus the kids of my parents’ friends) ran havoc in the pub garden. My mum used to let me have a tiny Baileys mixed with milk as dessert, which feels slightly outrageous now—I must have been about nine or ten! But Sundays were also spent at my grandmother’s house, who we call “Dana,” with all of our cousins and aunts and uncles. Her house was a hub for us all because we are a very big and tight-knit family. She would bring over vegetables from her allotment and cook big meals for us all—still the best potatoes I’ve ever had; we call them “DP’s” (Dana’s potatoes). Dana would probably be playing Buena Vista Social Club whilst cooking (she’s half Peruvian, so loves Latin music), a very nostalgic memory of her singing along to the songs whilst cooking.
PORTA: Did it follow the same pattern each week, or shift depending on the season and who was there?
LIBERTY: Because our family was so massive, we spent a lot of time at Dana’s, as her house was the biggest and she had a big garden filled with plants, with runner beans growing along the fence at the back. So in the summer we were outside a lot, eating and chatting.
PORTA: What does Sunday lunch feel like with your family now?
LIBERTY: I live with my amazing husband Garrett, and it’s just us two. I make sure to either buy a rotisserie chicken on a Sunday or roast a whole chicken myself at home. There will definitely be a trip to the farmers market, of course. In the summer, we make big chicken salads with seasonal vegetables and loads of herbs, but in the winter we have cosier, classic meals and usually have friends over for Sunday lunch. Honestly, I miss London a lot and the pub culture of hanging out all day at one pub, with different people popping in and out. It’s one of the best parts of being British, and there isn’t quite the same thing here in New York.
PORTA: What’s in your glass as you cook?
LIBERTY: A glass of Nonino or Montenegro amaro over ice with lemon.
PORTA: Where do peas and broad beans sit for you—something from childhood, or something you’ve come back to later?
LIBERTY: My grandmother is an amazing woman—she’s 91 years old and still acting in plays and TV shows. She’s been an actress her whole life, and there’s nothing stopping her. Most of my childhood food memories relate back to her because we spent so much time together. She had a gorgeous allotment down the road from her house, as I mentioned before. We would go there together a lot, and this is where I learnt about seasonality and how plants and vegetables grew. I loved it there so much—we would spend the whole day picking peas, broad beans, runner beans, and copious amounts of berries, which we would eat in the shade with a flask of tea.
PORTA: Tarragon has that soft, slightly liquorice note—what draws you to it?
LIBERTY: It's funny because my last name is Fennell, and for most of my life I absolutely hated the taste of fennel or anything aniseed-y, including tarragon. When I was about 25, someone served me a super lemony fennel salad, and I couldn’t believe I had been missing out on it. Tarragon is one of my all-time favourite ingredients to cook with now. I adore it with roast chicken, and I love to make a tarragon aioli to go with it—double tarragon!
PORTA: Can you describe the moment this dish comes together—the colour, the texture, the smell just before serving?
LIBERTY: As soon as the cream hits the bright green vegetables, everything comes together—the sauce turns silky, the colours stay vibrant, and the smell is incredible. But the real key is the herbs right at the end—tarragon and mint—which lift everything and give it that fresh, spring feeling.
PORTA: Are there flavours you return to again and again as a cook?
LIBERTY: Absolutely! I’m always making bone broth—it forms the base of so much of my cooking. There are always lemons in the fruit bowl, and parsley and dill in the fridge. Then there are the staples I can’t live without: a good Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, Calabrian chillies, tinned anchovies, good-quality tuna in olive oil, Aleppo pepper… and at least three different olive oils for different uses.
PORTA: What's in your pantry pasta?
LIBERTY: Spaghetti all the way. You will never not find my cupboard empty of Spaghetti.
PORTA: Which cookbooks do you reach for most?
LIBERTY: Ben Lipett’s new book is amazing, and it’s right up my alley when it comes to recipe development. I’ve always loved Diana Henry’s How to Eat a Peach, and I adore Rachel Roddy’s A–Z of Pasta. I’m also a big fan of Matty Matheson’s soups in his Soups, Salads and Sandwiches book.
PORTA: When you start a dish, does it begin with a specific ingredient, or more of a feeling?
LIBERTY: Sometimes I go into cooking a dish knowing exactly what I'm making because it’s something I’ve planned/been craving all week. This is planned and shopped for meticulously. BUT one of my favorite ways of cooking is by looking in the fridge, seeing what’s there, and making something up along the way. Because of my line of work, I usually end up with some pretty random combinations of ingredients. Often I might start frying onions and then just see where it takes me—this is how some of the most interesting recipes and meals have developed out of nowhere.
About In The Kitchen With
PORTA offers a uniquely honed edit of homewares from Europe bringing unique character and thoughtful design to your table and home in a way that simultaneously celebrates tradition while embracing contemporary style. Through our travels, interests and obsessions we bring storied traditions and histories to light so they can be engaged with in new ways. Many chefs explore and play with similar interests and ideas through food, and in our seriesIn The Kitchen With…we hope to highlight the joy and creativity that happens from stove to table by inviting chefs to whip up something wonderful on (or accessorized by) PORTA products. Each chef is generously sharing their recipe with us so that we can all recreate the magic at home, and answering a few questions about their love of food and approach to bringing people together around the table.
